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San Diego is often treated like Hollywood's poor relation but area filmmakers are trying to change that. Two groups are joining forces to keep San Diego talent here.

Tonight, the San Diego Student Film Festival and the San Diego Independent Filmmakers Consortium have invited local directors, writers, and actors to a pitch fest and mixer. Jodi Cilley works with both organizations and teaches filmmaking. She says she's tired of seeing talented students either move to LA or take low paying jobs. So she's working to keep that talent pool here.

"The initial goals for this event since we plan on having it as an ongoing event here in San Diego, are to unite the San Diego filmmaking community and help organize it we also want to create opportunities for collaboration on projects and really hoping to increase the quantity and the quality of films being produced. Now what we're really working down the long run is increasing funding, employment, and distribution opportunities for these local filmmakers. And this is kind of the first step in that."

Filmmaker Paul Giret is president of the San Diego Student Film Festival. He's excited about the opportunities and networking presented by tonight's event.

"I'm hoping to meet a lot of people and learn from them and I want people to get together and really realize that there is a community here in San Diego and as long as we get together then the community will build and it will exist and there'll be more work being done here in San Diego in terms of filmmaker."

This first Pitchfest and Mixer takes place tonight at 7pm at Four Points by Sheraton San Diego.

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